First: Instagram won't help you
There is no setting inside Instagram to turn Reels off. Not hidden, not buried: it doesn't exist, because Reels is the most engaging surface in the app and engagement is the business. "Not interested" on individual clips tweaks the algorithm; the feed itself is permanent. Quiet mode and daily limits are the same dismissible timers you've already learned to ignore.
So the real options live outside Instagram, and there are exactly two, depending on your diagnosis.
Option 1: cut Reels specifically, keep the rest
Best if: DMs and posts are genuinely useful to you, and Reels is the only trap.
Some blockers can detect and block the short-form surfaces inside apps. ScreenZen (free) is the best known: it can block the Reels feed (and YouTube Shorts, and TikTok) while leaving the rest of Instagram alone. You tap into Reels and ScreenZen steps in front of it.
The honest caveat: this is friction, not a wall. The block screen has options you can tap through, and week-six-you taps faster than week-one-you. If your Reels problem is a reflex, this may be all you need. If it's a craving, read on.
Option 2: make Instagram itself earned
Best if: "I'll just check my DMs" is how every Reels binge starts, and you know it.
Broc doesn't do surgical Reels removal. It does something blunter and, for drifters, more effective: Instagram stays locked until your daily habits are done. Open it early and you get the wall: your habit list and what each one earns. Do the reading or the workout (verified by an AI photo check or a timer), and Instagram opens for the minutes you earned, Reels included.
Block Instagram in Broc
Plus TikTok and YouTube if they're part of the same doom-loop. Takes a minute.
Set the habits that should come first
Ten pages, a workout, one study block. Concrete and finishable.
Let the craving work for you
Wanting to scroll becomes the reason the habit happens. That's the whole earned screen time idea.
Which option is yours?
| Your pattern | Pick |
|---|---|
| "I tap the Reels tab without thinking" | ScreenZen's short-form block (free) |
| "I enter through DMs and surface 40 minutes later" | Broc: whole app, earned |
| Both, honestly | Both: ScreenZen trims, Broc holds the wall |
Common questions
Won't I miss messages while Instagram is blocked?
Notifications still arrive; you just can't fall into the feed on the way to them. Finish a habit and reply with earned time. Friends survive the hour.
Does deleting the Instagram app work?
For about four days, in our experience. Reinstalling is free and invisible, so the decision gets remade every time willpower dips. The mechanics are covered in why you bypass every blocker.
What does Broc cost?
Broc is a subscription with a 7-day free trial. One plan, everything in: unlimited habits, custom unlock durations, AI photo verification and full history. No ads.
Reels can wait. Your habits can't.
Get Broc on Google Play